Anniversary
by whirlwinds of watercolours
Summary: James Potter sought to make his second dating anniversary a special day.


**Summary: James Potter sought to make his second dating anniversary a special day.**

**Rating: K for unusually sweet fluffiness.**

**Word Count: 1664**

**Written for: the Chinese Moon Festival Competition: Romance Slice; the School Subjects Competition: Care of Magical Creatures; Diagon Alley Challenge: Madam Pimpernelle's Beautifying Potions; Honeydukes Competition: Choco Balls; Music Awards 2012: Romantic Style; Canon Couples Challenge.**

**A/N: So... This is my first time writing a romance fic which does not contain angst, or tragedy. Certain words and phrases may sound weird and awkward, so please do tell me on which areas I could improve on.**

**Many thanks to my betas _blurred motion_ and _CleverEagleMudblood11_!**

* * *

"You know how much I hate flying, Potter," Lily Evans grumbled under her breath as she made her way to the field near Godric's Hollow, addressing James Potter by his surname since old habits seem to die hard. "You could get us killed."

"Evans, what are the chances of you falling off the broom when the Quidditch expert is around?" James Potter joked as he walked alongside her, a broom tucked in the crook of his arm.

"Very high," Lily replied dryly, earning a laugh from James. "Especially when said Quidditch expert failed to catch the ball last time."

Even in the dim light of the sky, Lily could see James blushing a bright scarlet. "It... it was an accident, Evans! It wasn't my fault!" he protested, desperate to protect his over-sized ego from any bruising.

A small smile lit Lily's face as she remembered the last Quidditch match she watched at Hogwarts. After a spectacular throw by Gryffindor Chaser James Potter, the crowd was saddened to see the Quaffle thrown by a fellow Gryffindor Chaser land in the hands of the Slytherin Chaser, after James Potter, who was too busy showing off to the cheering crowd, missed the ball by a few millimetres. To this day, Lily was sure that Owen Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch Team Captain, still had not forgiven James for that miss which had cost them the Quidditch House Cup.

"Right..." Lily said wryly, the smile still playing on her lips.

"Oh, come on, Evans, that was a year ago," James groaned. "Can't you just let me off the hook?"

"I did, Potter, until you forced me to go on a night flight. _Night flight!_ Do you know how dangerous that is? You could crash into a tree!" Lily exclaimed. James sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, brushing away her concerns and worries.

"Evans," his dry tone remarked, "there's a reason the _Lumos _spell was invented. It's to see in the dark."

"I highly doubt that you can go around flying your broom properly with a wand held in front of your face, Potter," she retorted smartly, rolling her eyes at the absurdity of the thought of James flying around in the dark with a glowing wand held in front of his face. "There's a higher chance of crashing into a tree while using the wand than not using the wand at all, since you might blind yourself in the process."

"Only you would see the negative aspects of life, Evans. You're no fun," James moaned to himself under his breath. Big mistake.

"Excuse me?" Lily's tone was low, yet dangerous. No one called Lily Evans a spoilsport and lived to tell the tale. James Potter swallowed visibly, shaking his head.

"Nothing, Evans."

Seeing the icy smile on Lily's face, James did not dare to make any more disparaging comments. They stopped in the middle of a field, gazing at the twilit sky. A breeze skittered past them, sending a few fallen leaves brushing against their ankles. Lily closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath of the cool autumn air, loving the refreshing feeling humming in her veins as she felt the last of the sun's rays on her face.

She wondered why James decided that today, out of all days, to bring her on a night flight. James Potter, after all, did not do things without a reason. Without opening her eyes, she murmured, "Potter, what's your pur-_let me go_!"

Without any warning, a pair of strong arms grabbed her around the waist, pulling her onto the already levitating broom. Before Lily could shriek in protest, she felt James kick off from the ground, and her stomach immediately sank. Oh, no. No, no, no. She hated flying. She _hated _flying. Right now, she was glad that she had her eyes closed, because she did not want to see how high up in the air they were.

"James, stop – _stop_!" Lily cried in alarm, cold fear coiling around her, holding her in a death grip. Panic raced through her veins, her heart hammering in her chest, blood pounding in her ears. Her entire body was frozen; her muscles tensed. If James had not had his arms wrapped around her body, she was sure she would have fallen off the broom already.

"It's okay, Lily." Even probably fifty feet in the air, the tenderness in his tone sent delightful tingles down her spine. His calmness in the most ridiculous situations never failed to amaze her either. "It's okay. You're not going to fall off the broom, not while I'm around. Everything's fine. You can open your eyes." There was so much conviction in his tone that she took her deep breath, and cracked open an eye.

The scene that greeted her was breathtaking. Rolling plains and tiny brick houses dotted the horizon, the sun resting its tired frame on a few mountain peaks in the distance. Lily gasped and instinctively shielded her eyes from the bright glare. They were flying at a height which was not too high, yet not too low – the perfect altitude, in her opinion.

As they flew towards the direction of the setting sun, Lily decided to close her eyes and enjoy the feel of the wind rushing past her ears, causing her flaming hair to stream out behind her, as if the strands were trying to weave themselves into the natural path of the wind. Up there with James, she felt light and carefree. They were the only ones in the entire world right now: there was no Voldemort causing terror, no friends to worry about, nothing at all except the two of them...

For once in her life, Lily tasted the sweetness of freedom.

* * *

"Is that what you brought me here for?" Lily asked as she crossed her legs, shifting into a more comfortable position to stare at James instead of the starry sky on the picnic blanket she had Transfigured. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw how the pale light from the flickering stars enhanced his features, making them look even more ethereal in their light. With a slight blush, she realised he had stared at her all this while, and she had not even noticed. "Just a simple flight for our second anniversary?"

"Well, there's something else in addition to letting you enjoy this day." Now that Lily had caught him in the act, he seemed determined to look at something else. He kept his gaze fixated on the moon as he answered. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?" Lily asked, turning to stare at the moon as well. There was a full moon tonight, and Lily wondered how Remus was coping – he had insisted that Sirius was to keep him company tonight instead of James, for some unknown reason.

"Lily," James murmured as if she was the only girl who ever walked the earth, making her feel absolutely perfect in that moment as he tore his gaze away from the moon and looked at her with utter seriousness in his brown eyes. Lily stared at him puzzled, while he took a deep breath, as if reassuring himself. The next words that came out of his mouth shocked her to the core.

"Marry me."

She was not sure why, but she felt her entire body freeze up at those words. She stared at him with profound astonishment, wondering if her ears had deceived her. Her – _Lily Evans – _marry James Potter? Memories of how he and the rest of the Marauders mocked her and Severus's friendship during their early Hogwarts years suddenly came rushing back to her. The cruel taunts, the tactless jeers, the heartless pranks...

_"Hanging out with Snivellus again, Evans? How can you stand being so close to that git?"_

_"Evans, did you enjoy the show today? Snivellus looks good hanging from a tree, doesn't he?"_

_"All these years, I was wondering what you see in Snivellus. Greasy hair, no hygiene skills whatsoever, Death Eater in training..."_

But he had changed since all of that. The memories that were flickering past were now happy ones of James Potter and her - how he had always been there for her when Severus went to the Dark Side, how he had comforted her after that confrontation with Petunia and Vernon...

_"It's okay, Evans. There's no use wasting tears over him. He's completely and utterly gone, and he's not coming back for a while."_

_"I know she'll forgive you someday. She's your sister – the closest person you have in the world."_

To her horror, James seemed to mistake her silence for rejection. With an unreadable expression on his face, he stood up abruptly, turning his back to Lily. Disappointment seemed to radiate from him in crashing waves. Lily, thoroughly alarmed, stood up as well when James started walking away from her, in the direction of Godric's Hollow.

"James, wait! I... I didn't mean it like that!" Lily cried, chasing after him. James turned, and seeing the crestfallen look in his hazel eyes almost broke her heart. "I was just... thinking. This was so sudden, and I... I didn't know how to react."

James studied her carefully for a few moments, his face void of emotion. "So what's your decision?" he asked blankly, although the strain of keeping his voice level could be heard.

Lily examined the face of the man she had loved for the past two years. He was such a troublemaker at times – or rather, most of the time, yet she knew he was a good man at heart. She smiled, leaned in, and their lips met. Passion burned like fiery fire between the two of them as she tugged their bodies closer. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feel of his thumb caressing her cheek gently. The moment was perfect; she wanted to savour it forever.

When she finally pulled away, she could see James Potter's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"I will."


End file.
